Duke Hyou
Duke Hyou was a Great General from the state of Qin who led an invading Qin army to besiege the Wei city of Keiyou. He fought against a Wei force led by Go Kei on the Dakan Plains in the Western part of Wei and killed the Wei general in combat. He is known for being an instinctual general for his use of crude tactics and striking after upsetting the battlefield with his use of infantry. The Duke's skills at war have made him a great asset to the state of Qin. Appearance Duke Hyou has a warrior's build, white hair and large grey eyes. He has a long moustache and styles his beard into three long goatees. The Duke wears a red cloak on his golden armour and wields a guandao along with a spike rimmed shield. Personality Duke Hyou is known as a battle-thirsty, ruthless man who freely sacrifices the lives of soldiers for the sake of victory. He displays his intuitive instincts as he realizes the objective of Go Kei forcing the fight to the Dakan Plains and states that the field is where Wei war chariots are most effective. He is a bold general as he leads his men on a charge against Go Kei's army. From his point of view, war is seen as a great blazing fire and he strikes when that fire reaches the height of its strength. He respects opponents who are strong and give him a good fight as he says Go Kei showed a most impressive blaze in the end. In his fight against Go Kei, he mocks the Wei general for not having "the blood of a warrior" and calls him a loser for his inability to let go of the bitterness from his past. He also has a relaxed and joyous side, as he is seen partying alongside the Hi Shin Unit the night after Shin killed Man Goku and forced Ou Ki to have a drink with him after the victory of Dakan Plains. History Duke Hyou was born on the battlefield. He proceeded to grow up there too. King Sho sent Duke Hyou numerous summons to return to Kanyou, but he ignored every one of them. He had no need of glamorous light or dream like the Six Great Generals. From what he could see, the six of them were people who were pursing a dream. Who set foot onto the battlefield to chase after some sweet dream. And that resonated together with the dream of the "War God King Sho," to emit a fierce strength. But for him it was different. For the Duke, the battlefield is his home, and to live is to wage war. So long as he could fight on the battlefield, emerge victorious, and have delicious wine to sip during the night, then he was completely satisfied. Story Keiyou Campaign Arc Duke Hyou lead an army of 150,000 to invade the neighboring state of Wei with the goal of capturing the city of Keiyou. He split the army into 6 separate divisions before they reached the Wei border. Upon hearing word of the Wei army's advance from Keiyou to Asui, he told his officers of Go Kei's goal and changed his plan to meet the Wei forces on the Dakan Plains to do battle. He placed his headquarters near the plains after moving out from Asui Castle, and when word reached him of the Wei war chariots had completely over run the 4th army's infantry, he told the cavalry units to continue holding their positions. Catching on to the chance made by remnants of the 4th army infantry, he signals the 4th army cavalry to relieve them. While, the 4th cavalry was overrunning the Wei infantry, Duke Hyou sent out the 1st and 2nd army cavalry to the Kyuu Gen's hill camp where the 4th Qin army was currently engaged. With Go Kei's army emerging from the plains, the Duke took to the field, leading a devastating charge with 5,000 Qin cavalry into the Wei army. Donning a war mask, Duke Hyou worked himself into a berserk-like frenzy which ignites his men and makes them an unstoppable force as they continue charging towards the Wei great general, smashing through two Wei formations. Rampaging through Wei armored infantry, Hyou and his men continue on their path, until Go Kei sent out his war chariots to grind down their numbers. The Duke notices this, but continued on with his attack. After assistance from Heki's cavalry unit arrived, Duke Hyou had his men aid in the pincer attack on the Wei chariot unit to his left. When he arrived at Go Kei's HQ, he killed Shu Ki with a single stroke after breaking past the Wei army's last defensive line. Coming face to face with Go Kei. The two great generals proceed to duel each other, exchanging blows with the Duke coming out the winner every time. He mocked Go Kei for whining over his bitter past, stating that, "If you are a general focus on how to defeat the enemy army!! There should be nothing else that occupies your heart!!" With that, he cut down the Go Kei and destroy the Wei morale. As the Wei troops retreat back to their state, Duke Hyou noticed Ou Ki and chatted with him, asking him to come drink to their victory at Asui. He then announced, that the Qin army were going home, stating that, "there is no task more difficult than attempting to immediately re-ignite a fire that has been extinguished." Battle for Bayou Arc During the Han Campaign lead by Mou Gou, Duke Hyou was stationed at the front lines of the Qin-Wei boarder to keep a close eye of them, because they were seeking a chance ot retaliate for the Keiyou Campaign. Alliance Arc Duke Hyou was stationed in Asui. He along with Great General Mou Gou were nominated as potential canidates for leading the Sanyou Campaign. Heki was sent to Asui to ask the Duke for his opinion. Sanyou Campaign Arc In order to prevent Chu from attacking Qin during the Sanyou Campaign, Duke Hyou, Chou Tou and Mou Bu were stationed at the Qin/Chu border. Coalition Invasion Arc Duke Hyou was first seen leading an army of 10,000 against the Wei army of 100,000 under the command of Go Hou Mei. As the Wei were moving to trap him in a pincer formation using war chariots, they were saved due to the arrival of the Hi Shin Unit who co-ordinated with his troops to stave off the attack. As the Wei began to seemingly retreat, the Duke had all the troops halt their attack stating that "something ahead smelled extremely off." and had them retreat instead. He then commented on Go Hou Mei's skill, saying he had thought that Wei no longer possessed any note worthy generals and realized that Go Hou Mei's HQ reeked of no ordinary strategy. He then told his troops that their HQ's fire was growing dim so they went back to save them. Later that night, the Duke met with Shin and thanked him for his assistance before explaining the significance of the invasion. After this, he asked Shin to accompany him and battle the Wei in hopes of stopping their advance. On the fourth day of combat, Duke Hyou sent word to the Hi Shin Unit to take the Shourai Mountain Paths and then strike the enemy in their flank. When the Zhao army arrived, Duke Hyou had his men retreat to Chuukou. Later on, Duke Hyou and Qin's six other top generals were called to Kanyou. They were told that they would need every last measure of military strength available to combat the Coalition Army of 500,000 men and Shou Hei Kun then explained the strategy he had in mind. Battle of Kankoku Pass In response to Ri Boku's plan to attack the second, less defended entrance of the Qin capital, Duke Hyou quickly flanked the Ri Boku army by using his instinctual abilities to penetrate through to the center of Ri Boku's Ryuudou strategy. Ri Boku stops and complimented Duke Hyou's abilities as a general and Houken is revealed to be the "trump card" of Riboku. Quickly engaging in a duel with Houken, Duke Hyou fights valiantly but is ultimately slain in battle, however Duke Hyou managed to damage Houken's arm before he perished. Abilities Duke Hyou is a great general who displays physical prowess worthy of the title he holds. His skill is on par with the six great generals, but he turned down the position many times. He is strong enough to break through an enemy infantry unit, killing about 15 men single-handedly with the first strike of his weapon and his arm strength is sufficient enough to cut a man in half effortlessly. General Ou Ki also acknowledged that Duke Hyou's fighting prowess is at a high enough level to give him a run for his money. According to Go Hou Mei, the Duke's way of positioning and using troops, is completely opposite of the proper, he does exactly what is considered foolish by common teaching. He sends many of his men to die for nothing. However on the other hand, he is able to win every vital clash in the battlefield allowing him to make up for the earlier losses. As a general he uses his instinct to decide how he fights his opponents. He does this by reading the movement of enemy armies and intuitively decides accordingly what the best course of action is. During a celebratory drink with the Hi Shin Unit, he tells that warfare is a living thing and therefore it is impossible to make predictions until the battle starts, causing there to be no outlook. He follows up with that there is only one important thing; "that is whether or not the Firestarter will be able to arrive at the Location where a Fire can be Ignited". The Duke's style of combat is to commit troops to large offensives often resulting in massive casualties. Doing so however he creates a lively battlefield which he intuitively reads looking at openings, key targets or opportunities as a point to "light a fire". Once a fire has been identified he will commit his troops to exploit this opening in an attempt to turn the opportunity into a decisive victory. Often leading from the front, the Duke has been shown leaping into thousands of men and leading passionate charges, drawing out a great deal of strength from his men. Riboku likens the Duke to a lion or predator, and notes that this tendency can upset many generals whose strengths lay in being tacticians. Key to note is the Duke's victories over Go Kei and his ability to surprise attack Riboku. He is also capable of using basic tricks on the battlefield like moving away from his own flags. Though it should be noted that, similar to Ren Pa, due to the focus on Duke Hyou himself this tactic becomes even more effective. Another key strength of the Duke is his leadership abilities, wherein he actively nurtures Shin's growth during the battle of Kankoku Pass. As well as inspiring his men to fight like demons. Duels *vs. Go Kei: won Gallery Anime Manga Lines From Baku Koshin: "I know no other man as formidable at warfare as him". Category:Great Generals Category:Qin Category:Qin Generals Category:Male Category:Glaive Users Category:Instinctual Generals Category:Duke Hyou Army Category:Deceased Characters Category:Cavalry Category:Commanders in Chief